Fridge/freezer - how does temp control work?
Pat Egan
The fridge part of my fridge / freezer, is not as cold as it should be,
however the freezer part is very cold. It is one of those units with only
one compressor etc. Can anyone tell me how the fridge part gets cooled when
there is only an evaporator coil in the freezer part. Finally, would an
iced up freezer compartment affect the fridge compartment?
Thanks --- Pat Egan
Derek Newland
<pat....@eei.ericsson.se> writes
enters the freezer coil and then overflows into the fridge coil. If no
evaporator coil can be seen in the fridge section, the coil will be
built into the cabinet liner which will normally freeze the back wall.
The thermostat phial should be attached and clamped to this chilled area
in the fridge.
problems:
1. The phial may have come loose causing the unit to run
continuously. (freezer and fridge then too cold)
2. The thermostat may be faulty in which case both freezer and fridge
would suffer.
3. If the plant is slightly short of gas, the freezer would still work
ok but there would not be enough gas to overflow into the fridge side.
Because of this the compressor would run continuously because the phial
of the thermostat would not get cold enough to switch the compressor off
These thermostats normal have a cut out point about minus 18/20 degrees
Centigrade, and regardless of where the thermostat is set, the cut in
point is about plus 4 degrees Centigrade. This makes sure that the
temperature of the fridge functions within 2 to 4 degrees Centigrade.
Having explained all the above it follows that your unit has partially
lost some of its gas. This would cause the unit to run continuously
because fridge coil is not cold enough to reach the cut-out point.
Because it is running all the time the freezer temperature would be
lower than normal because of the continual running.
or:
the condenser is clogged with dust or natural air flow is restricted.
The condenser is the coil of pipe work normally attached to the back of
the cabinet and is there to disperse the heat that is collected from the
cabinet, plus the motor heat from the unit. Is your cabinet built in,
and does it have sufficient air flow to work normally in the hot
weather.
or:
is there a partial restriction in the system which can be caused by a
choked filter/drier. (small phial between exit from condenser to
restrictor line.
This can be checked by switching the unit off for about five minutes to
allow all the gas in the unit to transfer itself into the freezer pipes.
A small flowing noise should be heard. When all is quiet, switch the
unit on again. If the evaporator coil in the fridge then begins to work,
it means that there is sufficient gas there and the cause is a
restriction in the system. If it does not freeze up, then you have lost
some gas.
If gas is lost it can be topped up, but you will need your friendly
fridge man to pay a visit. The next thing is "where is the leak"
This has to be found and rectified, or the same thing will happen all
over again.
P.S. An iced up freezer would not affect your fridge. It would just mean
that your freezer would run less efficiently.
Good luck
--
Derek Newland
Darren Mitchell
"Pat Egan" <pat....@eei.ericsson.se> wrote in message
news:8m3nsi$b1f$1...@newstoo.ericsson.se...
> Hi,
> The fridge part of my fridge / freezer, is not as cold as it should
be,
> however the freezer part is very cold. It is one of those units with only
> one compressor etc. Can anyone tell me how the fridge part gets cooled
when
> there is only an evaporator coil in the freezer part.
If you have a frost free or self-defrosting freezer then cool air is
sometimes introduced to the fridge section from the evaporater in the top of
the freezer (Usually through an adjustable grill to control temperature) .
Finally, would an
> iced up freezer compartment affect the fridge compartment?
>
If the evaporater ices up in the freezer this impedes or stops the airflow
to the fridge although the freezer will remain reasonably cold as cold air
sinks.
Some other types of fridge freezer rely on a small solenid valve (usually
close to the compressor) to stop the refrigerant flow to the fridge section
of the cabinet. These fail fairly frequently leading to warm fridge and
working freezer !
Darren Perrett.
Edwin Spector
I read your post with interest, as I'm in the market for a new fridge/freezer.
Are there any brands to avoid, if they use these dodgy valves? I keep my FF in
an unheated room, by the kitchen, and I have had the winter problem of the
thing
shutting down (single motor).
Thanks for any suggestions.
Edwin Spector
Bath.
Darren Mitchell wrote:
[...]
Darren Mitchell
or even a seperate fridge and freezer if you have room.
If you keep a standard F/F in a cold place you will have the freezer
defrosting regularly in the winter and the only solution is to heat the
room. Personaly I avoid buying "frost free" freezers as they have a lot more
to go wrong, ie heaters, timers, fan motors, sensors. I always give the
doors a good shake etc to get a feel of the quality of the cabinet. If the
the door fits well and the gasket is good you shouldn`t need to defrost more
than one a year anyway.
Hotpoint insulation always seems to fail more than most other manufactures
causing sweating on the sides or bottom of the cabinet.
Darren Perrett.
Jim Easterbrook
> If you keep a standard F/F in a cold place you will have the freezer
> defrosting regularly in the winter and the only solution is to heat the
> room.
My F/F has an external thermstat that turns the fridge light on if the
room temperature is too low. This warms up the fridge, so the fridge
thermostat turns on the compressor and keeps the freezer cold.
--
Jim Easterbrook <http://www.easter.mersinet.co.uk/>